The Mayor Sends HelpDoing Our Part to Aid the
Victims of Hurricane Katrina

By Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

Four years ago, after 9/11, people across the country helped
New York City get back on its feet. Some came here to work
with us in the recovery effort; many, many more donated to
relief organizations while staying in their home communities
and going about their daily lives. All of their acts of support
and generosity meant the world to us. Now, in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina and the terrible devastation it has brought to the
people of the Gulf Coast, it’s our turn to do our part.
Once again, we all have different, but important, roles to
play.

Today, City officials with rescue and recovery expertise are
on the scene. 137 NYPD Officers are leading a convoy of 100
MTA buses to New Orleans to relocate residents. A 36-member “Urban
Search and Rescue Team” made up of City firefighters,
police officers, and men and women from our Office of Emergency
Management, all specially trained in rescue operations, are
in Biloxi, Mississippi, searching for trapped and stranded
people. Also, three high-ranking chiefs from the FDNY who are
skilled in disaster management are in New Orleans. A Disaster
Assistance Response Team of active and retired City firefighters
is also helping the American Red Cross distribute emergency
supplies in that city. And we’ve made it clear that we’re
ready to offer all the personnel or equipment that may be needed.

There’s also something that every New Yorker can do,
too — and that’s to donate money to the organizations
helping the hundreds of thousands of people on the Gulf Coast
who have been forced to leave their homes. They’re our
fellow Americans, and they’ve just been hit by one of
the worst natural disasters our nation has ever experienced.
Many have lost everything they have; they need our help. So
I’ve requested that the city’s houses of worship
take up special collections, and urged banks to make appeals
for donations at their ATMs. I’m encouraging public,
private, and parochial schools to organize student “penny
drives” for hurricane relief. And I’ve asked that
during the week of September 11th, every concert, sporting
event, or other public or private gathering raise money for
victims of Hurricane Katrina.

We’ve also taken steps to make it easier to donate to
hurricane relief. We’ve made it possible for City employees
to voluntarily and automatically deduct money from their paychecks
for relief organizations. And all New Yorkers can find out
who to send money to, and how, by calling the Citizen Service
Hotline at 311. Or you can write a check to the Mayor’s
Fund to Advance New York City, a not-for-profit corporation
that raises money for City projects. Send donations to the
Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City at City Hall, New
York, New York, 10007, and note on your check that it’s
for “Hurricane Katrina relief.” We’ll make
sure that it gets into the right hands.

We’re all in shock at the destruction Hurricane Katrina
created. But I’d also like to ask you to remember that
we can all make a difference. Four years ago, a tremendous
outpouring of generosity and teamwork helped New York City
come back from a devastating terrorist attack—and this
time, we will do the same to help the people of the Gulf Coast
recover from the terrible forces of nature.